Monthly Archives: September 2017

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The Reformation was by no means merely a restating of the basic doctrines of the Christian faith; it was also intended as a reformation of the worship practices of the church. Two of the marks of the true church, “the right preaching of the word and the right administration of the sacraments,” concern worship.

Many imagine that what Luther and Calvin did was to found new churches, with their specific doctrines and forms of worship; and that therefore to be their loyal followers means holding rigidly to these doctrines and forms.Thus any movement to make changes in the established ways of Reformed churches is always met by cries of “betrayal of our heritage.”But neither Luther nor Calvin had any intention of founding a church.

They simply set out to reform the Church that Christ Himself had founded.They had no desire to make a break with the Church and its heritage, but were forced to separate from the contemporary church because of its refusal to reform.Their intention was never to deny continuity with the Christian heritage but rather to restore to the Church her most ancient traditions, those of the New Testament, which they saw had been radically distorted.Hence they were literally re-formers.And nothing could have been further from their intentions than the idea that their Reformation was definitive and authoritative for all time.Thus a loyal son of the Reformation is one who is prepared at all times to reform, and not one who has made of the sixteenth-century Reformation a new idol that cannot be touched.A Reformed Church is a reforming Church, and its characteristic ought to be, not a tenacious adherence to sixteenth century forms and principles, but an openness to the leading of the Spirit in every age.

The aim of the Reformation was not the abolition of the priesthood but the abolition of the laity. Every Christian was to realize his priesthood: ‘Ye are a chosen generation; a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.’ This is the Biblical conception of worship—an offering of the entire congregation in praise and adoration. The Reformers aimed at restoring this heritage to a people who had become accustomed to being spectators at a ceremonial in a language they did not understand. They therefore insisted on everything being said at worship in a clear and intelligible voice in the language of the common people. They also encouraged the revival of congregational singing and audible participation in the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed.

If we define all that we are before our great Caller and live our lives before one audience—the Audience of One—then we cannot define or decide our own achievements and our own success. It is not for us to say what we have accomplished. It is not for us to pronounce ourselves successful. It is not for us to spell out what our legacy has been. Indeed, it is not even for us to know. Only the Caller can say.